PRESS STATEMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2026.
Abuja, Nigeria - The CSO, Speak Out Africa Initiative (SOAI), in solidarity with Nigerians and civic partners across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT, issues this urgent statement regarding the ongoing amendment to the Electoral Act introducing a so-called “manual backup” clause to electronic transmission of election results. Hence, we categorically reject this deceptive compromise.
The latest position adopted by the Nigerian Senate on electronic transmission of results represents not progress, but a calculated regression disguised as reform. While the Senate publicly claims to have yielded to citizens’ demands for electronic transmission, the insertion of a manual fallback mechanism into the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026 dangerously undermines the very transparency Nigerians have fought to secure - This is not redundancy. This is a loophole.
THE “GLITCH” NARRATIVE: A PATTERN WE RECOGNIZE
Nigeria’s electoral history teaches us that “technical failure” is often weaponized as a political strategy rather than an operational accident.
In previous elections, contingency tools such as incident forms — originally designed as emergency safeguards — became systematic instruments for bypassing accreditation protocols and legitimizing inflated figures. The same risk now confronts us under this proposed manual backup clause.
By preserving manual result sheets as an alternative to electronic transmission, lawmakers are institutionalizing ambiguity at the most sensitive stage of the electoral process — collation and result confirmation.
This creates three grave risks:
1. Engineered Technical Failures
Planned or induced “network glitches” could be selectively invoked in politically competitive or opposition-leaning polling units, allowing officials to revert to manual collation where manipulation is easier and less traceable.
2. Collation Room Vulnerability:
Manual sheets can be altered in collation centers — away from the scrutiny of the digital public dashboard and beyond immediate citizen verification. This returns Nigeria to opaque, paper-dependent processes that have historically enabled tampering.
3. Legal Confusion and Judicial Exploitation:
Dual systems create interpretational conflict. In post-election litigation, political actors may argue that manually signed hard copies supersede electronic uploads, thereby weakening the evidentiary authority of digital records and overwhelming the courts with avoidable disputes. Democracy thrives on clarity. This amendment manufactures confusion.
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION MUST BE PRIMARY, NOT OPTIONAL
SOAI affirms that electronic transmission must not merely exist. It must be the legally binding primary source of election results.
If electronic transmission is good enough to announce results, it must be good enough to defend them in court.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has already deployed technology such as BVAS and result viewing portals to increase transparency. The solution to infrastructure gaps is not regression to paper but investment in resilient technology.
If concerns exist regarding connectivity, the law should mandate:
- Redundant network systems, including satellite-enabled transmission.
- Multi-layer encryption and timestamp authentication.
- Public, real-time result dashboards with immutable audit trails.
- Independent technical monitoring mechanisms involving civil society and telecom regulators.
Nigeria cannot aspire to 21st-century elections while retaining 20th-century vulnerabilities.
A CALL TO LEGISLATIVE RESPONSIBILITY
We call on the 24-man conference and harmonization committee to adopt the House of Representatives version and stand firm in defense of full electronic transmission in real-time during the harmonization process with the Senate. The integrity of our democracy must not be compromised for political convenience.
Furthermore, we urge the National Assembly of Nigeria to recognize that electoral trust is the bedrock of national stability. Any law that creates ambiguity in result transmission weakens public confidence and fuels post-election tension.
DEMOCRACY DEMANDS CERTAINTY
Nigerians are not asking for miracles. We are demanding measurable accountability.
In today’s digital economy, citizens receive instant bank alerts for transactions. Should votes — the currency of sovereignty — enjoy less protection than financial transfers?
An election result that cannot be digitally verified in real time invites suspicion. Suspicion breed’s unrest. And unrest threatens democracy itself.
OUR POSITION
SOAI therefore demands:
1. Mandatory Real-time E-result Transmission: Electronic transmission must be the sole legally recognized primary record of results.
2. Technological Strengthening, Not Legislative Weakening: Address infrastructure gaps through mandated upgrades, not procedural backdoors.
3. Legal Clarity: Explicit statutory language affirming the supremacy of electronically transmitted results in judicial proceedings.
4. Citizen Oversight: Structured civil society participation in monitoring digital transmission compliance nationwide.
CALL TO ACTION
We urge Nigerians to remain vigilant, peaceful, and actively engaged. Democracy is not defended on election day alone; it is defended in legislative chambers, policy drafts, and civic consciousness.
Should lawmakers refuse to close the backdoor to manipulation, citizens will respond through lawful, peaceful, and sustained democratic advocacy.
The future of Nigeria’s democracy cannot be negotiated in ambiguity.
Our votes must carry the certainty of a verified digital record — anything less is a betrayal of public trust. Our votes must count !
Signed,
Sunday Jacob Esq
Head, Communications
#NigeriaDecides2027 #ElectronicTransmissionOfResultsIsWhatWeWant
#CredibleElectionIsNon-negotiable #NoToSystemicRigging
